There is a lack of affordable housing in Germany – partly because building is so expensive. New guidelines should make it easier to forego the unnecessary – and expensive – gold standard.
Fewer sockets, thinner suspended ceilings: The federal government wants to make construction more cost-effective and simpler. The Ministry of Construction has therefore published a guideline that enables planners and builders to agree on lower construction standards. “Construction must be made simpler and more affordable again, without compromising on safety,” explained Minister of Construction Klara Geywitz (SPD).
Housing associations had complained that buildings were often built to the gold standard because they feared legal problems otherwise. This led to high costs, making the apartments almost unaffordable for consumers. They had called for many unwritten standards in housing construction to be questioned. The federal government is now responding to this with the so-called building type E – where E stands for simple or experimental.
Construction costs as a reason for housing shortage
This would allow the contracting parties to deviate from cost-intensive standards in a legally secure manner, explained Geywitz. This could mean, for example, foregoing basements, fewer balconies or fewer noise protection measures. Both the construction industry and users benefit from such agreements because building becomes cheaper. Construction costs are considered the main reason why there is a lack of affordable housing in Germany.
The guide contains recommendations on how agreements on lower building standards can be made in the most legally secure way possible and examples of simplifications, for example in the case of floor ceilings, sockets and cables or room temperature.
Source: Stern
